Aug 23, 2007

Here is the final card design. All of the information about this year's Holiday Joy sessions will be rolled out next week. This is the second of the vintage styled cards. Click on the image to view it larger.

So, my kids and I headed up to visit my long lost cousin up north. Seeing as how she had never met my daughter and I had never met either of her two daughters, the trip was long overdue. I bravely began our four hour trek with a vehicle that does not have a DVD player. But, miraculously, the children lived. We had a great time and in just two and a half days we ...

-swam in Lake Charlevoix-rode my cousin's horse Dallas-took lots of rides in the golf cart on their property-walked along Lake Michigan-fed apples to both Dallas and Gus (that would be my cousin's other horse)-went to a pizza place with a play area (a first for us)-saw the drawbridge in Charlevoix open and close-bought penny candy-got a cute portrait of the cousins-and even got cherry soda

I realized this was the first time my kids have ever been up north. On the way there, I was asked if the lake would be frozen and if there'd be snow! Gotta love the way a kid thinks. My cousin was a great host and we had a wonderful time. Just a few more days until school starts up so this was a great way to cap off the summer.

Aug 19, 2007

So, this past weekend was really busy. My husband has a '68 Camaro so we enjoy cruising the whole week before The Woodward Dream Cruise. Could we have had better weather? It was truly appreciated as our Camaro does not have AC. With the windows down, it was heaven. Perfect cruising weather. They estimate that over a million people attended the main event on Saturday, and even with all those cars around, I tend to take pictures of people. What can I say? I am a portrait photographer, after all. Just a few random images. I will be out of the office so no update on Tuesday, but I'll get back to the blog by the end of the week. Have a great week!

I am working out the last few details of my Holiday Joy Signature Sessions in October. I do know there will be priority scheduling. 2007 clients get first dibs at the session time of their choice, then 2006 clients, then past clients and finally new clients. There will be limited times available and when they are gone they are gone. I'll be out of the office until Thursday, August 23rd so look for all the details beginning the following week. Until then, here's one more clean and simple design to share. It looks a little small here, but if you click on it you'll view a larger file.

Have you noticed a similar look to portraits I've been posting on the blog? I am remodeling my living room to be a viewing/shooting space. The walls are painted a pale blue which photograhs like a very light grey. I bought some simple chairs with clean lines and I'm really happy with the results ... with one exception. Carpeting just doesn't work for the clean, simple look I'm going for. So, I lay down some wood flooring for my shots but it is a hassle. If you know of a good flooring person who would consider bartering services, please send me their information. I would like to replace the carpeting in the living room and dining room with wood flooring. Then I could shoot to my heart's content without the inconvenience. So, here's a few recent portraits of my two in my new space.

Aug 14, 2007

Well, this dad, T, is outnumbered four to one. Four gorgeous girls that is. But he doesn't seem to mind too much. T and S have just celebrated nineteen years of wedding bliss. They were a super fun family and I don't think any of them take a bad picture. I have had the privilege of photographing N, C, and L for their First Holy Communions but this was the first time mom and dad got in the mix, too. Just a few of my favorites.

So, I'm heading back into the classroom. Teaching photography, that is. If you didn't already know this, I taught junior high math for seven years so there isn't much that can scare me in the classroom. I decided to put that teaching degree back to use and combined it with my passion for and knowledge of photography and, voila, Fabulous Family Photographs was born. I ran a few classes last year and based on the positive feedback, I have expanded the both the class and my districts. So, this fall I will be teaching the a series of photography classes and a craft night in both the Rochester and Lake Orion School districts. I'd love to see some familiar faces. Grab a friend and register for classes. I have the dates on my calendar and when you register, you'll get the times and locations. Please note the the Lake Orion dates have been changed from what is listed in their brochure. Confirm the correct dates as noted on my calendar. And because I'll be asking my students to get in front of the lens in the Portrait Workshop, I went first. I don't know how all of you do this?!? It is much easier being behind the camera than in front.

Aug 10, 2007

If you're from Michigan, you don't need me to say anymore. I was able to get away overnight to Traverse City when my husband attended a conference. We left the kids with grandma, borrowed a friend's convertible and hit the road. I had a few solitary hours while my husband worked and headed out with my camera into downtown Traverse City in the afternoon and then went back to my old stomping grounds in Benzie county the next morning. We spent many a summer at Crystal Lake growing up and I could not be that close to both Gwen Frostic's and The Cherry Hut without stopping by.

In TC I had a Cherry Smoothie from Cherry Republic that had just the right tartness.

I found this neat gallery and purchased some art by Kristen Jongen that just spoke to me. Yes, I actually do have other art besides photographs on my walls.

Scott and I enjoyed a nice dinner together and in the morning, I put the top down and headed to Beulah. The first stop was Gwen Frostic Prints and I had to pick up a few notecards. If you have never heard of this place, it is amazing. Gwen Frostic made all these wood block drawings which were then engraved and made into plates and are pressed onto notecards, napkins, calendars, books, just about anything paper. It really is a neat experience and they still do all the printing in shop. But Gwen is truly remembered for her humanitarian work and her dedication to the environment.

Then I drove by Crystal Lake which is just as beautiful as I remembered. Last stop was to The Cherry Hut where I bought a cherry pie to go.

We had the cherry pie at dinner with the kids and the grandparents and it is just as tasty as I remember. Actually, I don't have to remember too far back. My dad still heads to Beulah every year and picks up a cherry pie for myself and my sisters. He delivers it as he heads back home down I-75 so sometimes it's still warm.

We were just gone over 30 hours but it was a nice reprieve. Amazing how many more pictures I take when I don't have two children in tow.

Aug 8, 2007

The thing I love most about portrait sessions at a client's home is that I get to help them remember what their everyday life is like, long after that stage has passed. So, here's to celebrating tea parties and princesses.

Aug 3, 2007

Next Saturday, August 11th is the Signature Sessions for the fabulous Gina Alexander Photo Handbags. Call or email to schedule your appointment. This is the only time this year to be able to order these custom handbags. Don't miss out!

A certain sandwich shop - which shall remain nameless - is offering a great deal. You can get a six inch sub, drink and chips for just $3.99.But wait, it gets better! If you come by for dinner between 4-7 pm, you can get TWO value meals for only $7.99!Uhhmmm, yeah. Think about it.

Toy-maker Fisher-Price is recalling 83 types of toys -- including the popular Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego characters -- because their paint contains excessive amounts of lead.

The worldwide recall being announced Thursday, 8/2, involves 967,000 plastic preschool toys made by a Chinese vendor and sold in the United States between May and August. You can see a picture and description of each toy in the recall on the Mattel website.

Aug 2, 2007

I am so privileged to be this family's photographers. I first met E when she was 1. Then again at 2. Then at 3 as baby sister A was ready to make her arrival. Then there was year 4 and 1, 5 and 2 and now this year these sisters just celebrated their 6th and 3rd birthdays. E is such a young lady and has a wonderful imagination. A is totally into her own little world. They are both free spirits and each time I visit with this family, I have a great time. Mom has been wise enough to include her parents in the past and this year dad's parents were able to join us. And visiting their beautiful home just made my day. Almost every room you walked into showcased their appreciation for photographs and most of them just happened to be taken by me, so that was a double treat. Actually, their home inspired me to see how othersdisplay their portraits so I think we will have some show and tell time from all of you. I will get it started and we'll go from there. Look for that post next week.

In the meantime, I haven't even had a chance to look at all the photographs from their session but while the files were downloading I opened up these first few images and am in love. Even with the heat, it was an enjoyable session and really captures who the girls are at this stage in their lives. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.